Do you have a question, Mr. Lafferty?

Yes, Mr. Speaker. Question to the department and the Minister: What responsibilities does the department have in maintaining the residential access roads? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With respect to this particular road access that the Member is bringing up, and many of them that are actually part of the Highway No. 3 system, the access roads were constructed. We dug up a lot of the existing highway system. But the ones where people were living, Mr. Speaker, they were reconstructed and maintained at that point for them to use. But any deterioration after that, it's still considered a private road and the individual is going to have to look at getting the access road up to accessibility for his access. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. So what the department is saying, the Minister is saying, is no, we're not going to support our elders to continue their way of life. Mr. Speaker, we are talking about people who lived along the highway before the department changed its route, even before this department existed. Mr. Speaker, can we come to a consensus on which cabins and homes might be considered for nominal access roads in respect to their traditional usage, like a grandfather clause? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The intent is not, of course, to restrict any access to elders or anybody else that's living off the highway system. But our policy is that we do not maintain any privately owned access roads off the highway system, and our primary responsibility is taking care of our highway system, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, policy is policy; it can be amended any time. The Minister has the responsibility to make changes to respect the traditional way of life. So I'd like to ask my final question to the Minister. Would the Minister be willing to meet with the leadership in Behchoko to find a solution for this ongoing issue that has been on the books for a number of years? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some of the issue, too, is that we have private contractors that do maintain our roads and we do have some informal policies that can consider requests such as this, but in the past we've had objection by contractors, in particular in the Member's riding, saying the government is taking away private contracting work by opening access roads and plowing roads. So that's one of the issues. But just in general, Mr. Speaker, the access roads belong to the owner and the department is not responsible for maintaining and clearing of those roads. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Transportation as well to follow up with my Member's statement. In a previous session, I raised the issue of the road through the Tlicho into the North to hook up with the mines. At that time, the Minister committed to meet with the grand chief to discuss this issue. I would like to ask the Minister if he could update this House on the outcome of those meetings with the grand chief. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, indeed, we did have time to meet the grand chief and the leadership of the Tlicho region last month. It is an initial meeting and we are in agreement that we will move forward with looking at the improved access for the Tlicho region and its communities. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister indicated that that is an initial meeting, so I can only assume that there are going to be subsequent meetings to that. I would like to ask the Minister when those meetings are planned and if he is going to talk about the road through the North Slave. Would he also be prepared to talk and meet with the leadership about the access roads referenced by my colleague from Behchoko?

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, discussing the access roads and the maintenance of it is an issue that certainly can be discussed the next time that we do meet with the Tlicho grand chief and the leadership. As well, I think the expectation is to be sometime at the end of June or towards the end of June to meet with regard to the Tlicho road studies. It is still early. We haven't even gotten out there to do some preliminary work just to discuss the particular overland routes to be chosen, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister, as well, whether there will be a reference to this particular option when we look at the all-weather access into the North Slave. Will that be built into the 2008-09 business plans that will be ready for the incoming 16th Assembly? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Having a submission prepared for 2008-09 business plans hinges on the study that we are about to conduct here. I am not too sure how much work has been done in 2008-09 or the timing that we want this road completed. As well, with the expectation of new roads, we expect federal contribution involvement, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.